Lucy Nalpathanchil

Host/Reporter

Lucy Nalpathanchil

Lucy is a WNPR Reporter and local host of All Things Considered. She's also a contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have aired on several NPR newsmagazine shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition.

During her time in Connecticut, Lucy has focused on immigration including New Haven's controversial ID card program, efforts for an in-state tuition law for undocumented students, and the Becoming American series: stories of immigrants and the citizenship process. In 2011, Lucy launched the Coming Home Project to tell the stories of returning Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans in transition. To learn more about the military, Lucy was chosen to take part in a week-long training for journalists hosted by the U.S Army at Fort Leavenworth, KS and Fort Leonard Woods, MO. Getting up at 3:30 am to participate in boot camp was most memorable!

In September of 2014, she was selected to join military reporters around the country for a conference hosted by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative in Washington D.C.

Lucy has worked in several states as a public radio reporter after beginning her career at WDUQ in Pittsburgh. She's received awards from Pennsylvania's Golden Quill, the New York State Associated Press, the Mayor's Asian American Advisory Board in Jacksonville, Florida, the Connecticut Associated Press and the state's Society for Professional Journalists chapter.

When she's not in the newsroom, Lucy enjoys traveling, hiking, and planning her next garden. She lives in Middletown with her family which includes two talented dogs, Sidney and Lily.

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Western Connecticut State University in Danbury will welcome 3500 visitors Thursday and Friday as the campus hosts a visit from his Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama.

The spiritual leader of Tibet and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize has spent much of his life traveling the world, speaking about values like compassion and decency.

The Dalai Lama will spend two days in Connecticut after Western Connecticut State University extended the invitation to speak here in partnership with the Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace in nearby Redding.

Advocates for victims of sexual assault want legislators to strengthen protections for those with disabilities.

Recently the state Supreme Court ruled 4 to 3, agreeing with an Appellate court decision to release a man convicted of raping a young woman with severe disabilities. The reason?

The two sexual assault charges against Richard Fourtin state that a victim was physically helpless at the time of the alleged assault. The justices said prosecutors did not provide the evidence needed to prove the victim was uncommunicative or unconscious at the time.

Yellow ribbons are back on the town green in Litchfield after being taken down recently by a group that oversees the historic district. The ribbons, which show support of the military, were removed in late summer by the borough warden and burgesses. The members voted to take four of them down without telling town residents who have maintained the ribbons, specifically the families of servicemembers. No reason was given.

Advocates for those with serious health issues are mourning the loss of an attorney who worked for years on their behalf. As WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, Jennifer Jaff died unexpectedly late last week.

Most people have heard of "AA" or Alcoholics Anonymous. The international program is credited with helping thousands of alcoholics recover from their addiction. It's membership totals two million worldwide.

But not many outside of AA know about the man who co-founded the organization. His name was Bill Wilson. A documentary about him opens Friday in New Haven at Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas.

WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil spoke with Co-Producer and Director of the film, Kevin Hanlon. More about the film can be found here:

To date, 63 men and women from Connecticut have died while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A small group of Connecticut residents are working to create a living memorial to these service members. It will be called the Connecticut Trees of Honor, and the planned site is in Middletown's Veterans Memorial Park.

Congressman Joe Courtney has sponsored a bill that could help veterans who are in school or planning to enroll using the Post 9-11 GI bill. The legislation would change how education funding is classified from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

There's been a dramatic increase of West Nile Virus cases nationwide in just one week. The number of people who tested positive has increased to more than 1100. The federal Centers for Disease Control says its the largest outbreak ever seen in the country with at least forty-one deaths.

Ted Andreadis is the chief medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Speaking on WNPR's Where We Live, he says there have been two human cases of West Nile Virus so far in the state.

Connecticut has a new, destructive resident that most likely is here to stay. As WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer has caused state officials to impose a quarantine in one part of Connecticut.

In June, the federal government announced a rule change that would allow some illegal immigrants to avoid deportation. As WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, the date to apply for deferred action is coming up, prompting immigrant rights groups nationwide to get ready.

Congress has yet to pass The Dream Act, a federal law that would allow children brought to this country by their parents to apply for U.S citizenship.

Environmental advocates and Connecticut lobstermen are calling on state and federal lawmakers to do more to restore the health of Long Island Sound. As WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, the state's commercial lobster industry has been hit hard by a severely depleted lobster harvest.

Millions of bison used to roam parts of the U.S. more than two centuries ago. Once close to extinction, the commercial meat market has brought back the bison to farms in many states including Connecticut. In Goshen, a five-week old calf is getting a lot of attention since the day he was born. WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil has the story

Employers in cities across the country are requesting visas for high skilled foreign workers. As WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, the demand has increased in the last decade according to the Brookings Institution.

This is the first time a report has looked at the local demand for foreign workers who receive H1-B visas to legally work in the U.S.

Senior Research Analyst at the Brookings Institution, Jill Wilson says the visa is widely requested by employers across the U.S not just those in the Silicon valley or NYC.

It may be summer break but some high school science teachers from Connecticut and as far away as Thailand are in class this week to learn more about forensic science. According to the University of New Haven which is running the training program, there's more demand for schools to offer courses in forensics.

For more details, WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil spoke with Steven Shiner. He's the director of training at the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven.

This month, more than a dozen homeless veterans will finally have a place to call their own thanks to the American Legion. A local Post in a small Connecticut town has been working for a decade on a unique project to create not transitional, but permanent supportive housing in their rural community.

A Workforce Development Board in Connecticut has received almosts $450,000 from the U.S. Labor Department. The Workplace, Inc. will use the grants to help homeless veterans and those who've been incarcerated.

WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil spoke to Joe Carbone, the President and CEO of The Workplace, Inc about the programs to help veterans. The Workplace, Inc is sharing in more than 20 million in grants from the U.S. Labor Department that were awarded nationwide.

Today's announcement by the Obama Administration that it will allow certain illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. and have the ability to work without penalty is being embraced by undocumented students in Connecticut.

A woman who worked tirelessly in the community to enact social change has died.

67-year-old Marlene Berg was one of the co-founders of Institute for Community Research in Hartford.

Berg had just retired from the Institute for Community Research as the Associate Director of Training this past January after working there for more than 25 years. Her colleagues remember her as a passionate activist and researcher.

"Marlene was one of the bravest people I'd ever met. She was never afraid to say anything to anyone regardless of the consequences."

An American Legion post in Jewett City has dedicated the last decade to raising money so it could help homeless veterans. On Monday, hundreds of Griswold residents turned out to celebrate the project's completion. Post 15 renovated its building so to provide 18 apartments to veterans who need housing.

On Monday, The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education in Stamford hosted a viewing of "Invisible War," an award-winning documentary about sexual assault in the military. More servicemembers who have experienced this trauma are starting to file claims with the VA.

Sixty-four women from around the U.S and the globe will be in New Haven next week for an intensive five day session on politics. It's put on each summer by the Women's Campaign School at Yale University. WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil has more

A coffee house in Middletown is showcasing the work of artists who are also veterans. WNPR’s Lucy Nalpathanchil has more

Al Kim works the night shift as a police officer for the city for the Middletown. During the day, he often hangs out at Klekolo World Coffee a few blocks from the police department. Kim is also a photographer and some of his work hangs on the walls of the small coffee shop. He points to one of them, It’s a picture of the Swing Bridge over the Connecticut River.

There are more women serving in the U.S military now than ever before. In fact, more than 255,000 women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the last decade. They may be your neighbor or your co-worker but their stories often aren't told.

As part of our ongoing Coming Home Series, WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil has a remembrance of a Seymour veteran who served in the U.S Air Force.

41-year old Master Sergeant Latisha Kennedy joined the Air Force right after high school.

Coach Geno Auriemma is talking about UConn's recent decision to end its broadcast partnership with CPTV. The public television station had aired women's basketball games for eighteen seasons. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports